ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. i95 



Connecticut Fruits for Connecticut Farmers. 



The first native fruit to greet us in early June is the straw- 

 berry. The old saying: "God might have made a better fruit 

 than the strawberry, but he never did," has been ascribed to 

 many truthful persons from George Washington down to Billy 

 Bryan, and still it is true. 



By a proper selection of varieties and different methods of 

 care, we may have this delicious fruit in perfection for about 

 six wrecks, making our wives good-natured, the children happy 

 and contented, reducing both the grocer's and doctor's bills. 

 Two dollars invested in strawberry plants, if properly cared for, 

 will produce more solid comfort to the square inch than any- 

 thing I know of, not even excepting whiskey and tobacco. 



Following strawberries, we have raspberries, red, black, yel- 

 low and purple, w'ith variations in flavor to suit all tastes and 

 covering about all of the month of July. Two hundred plants 

 will produce about 200 quarts under good care; enough for an 

 average family for daily use during the month, with a surplus 

 to can and jam for winter use. 



Currants appear during the raspberry season ; few families 

 care for large quantities of the fresh fruit, but the jelly has a 

 reputation as well as a desirable flavor, w^hile the fruit insinuates 

 itself into our jams with other berries, and neither seem injured 

 by the combination. Fifty plants will produce over two bushels 

 of fruit, and few families care to use more. 



Following the raspberries, or in fact soon after raspberries 

 begin, we have the dewberry, blueberry, whortleberry and black- 

 berry. The whortleberry and blueberry have never been culti- 

 vated successfully here, but as long as the portable saw mill 

 continues to lay low our native timber, we can find enough of 

 these delicious berries to float in our milk and make an occa- 

 sional pie. The dewberry has been cultivated with profit by 

 some during the past few years, and the special varieties grown 

 give large delicious fruit. Neither are perfectly hardy here, 

 but if covered in winter would undoubtedly prove profitable or 

 at least enjoyable in the farmer's fruit supply. 



The high blackberry was broug'ht prominently to public notice 

 many years ago by the introduction of the Lawton, an immense, 

 sour berrv. Most blackberries are still sold in citv markets as 



